I would like to include some missing comments I made at a recent Village Board meeting.

The first of my questions was on the “parking law.” I asked if we are going to enforce it or “Keep kicking the can down the road.” The new parking law signs we approved by the board in the fall of 2024 were purchased and installed at all roads entering into the village.

The mayor stated the law is enforced “as needed.” That is a funny comment as the amount of vehicles parking on the street overnight did not change with vehicles still parking on the street at Highland Avenue, Lake Avenue, Park Street and both East and West Main Street. The only change to this law was back in 2023 when two vehicles on Central Avenue did move to comply with this law.

The second of my questions is so simple, I can’t understand why the Brocton board is fighting this so much. It is a legal procedure needed to be used at the board meeting concerning the fire department on their needs and requests and how the board can vote on it.

It is considered a conflict of interest for any fireman to vote on any fire department issues. I brought this up many times last year per New York State laws and checking with our legal advocate John Mancini at the conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials. The simple action required is Brocton’s Attorney Peter Clark can appoint one fire department board member to vote due to “Articles of Necessity,” allowing them to vote.

To pass anything through it takes three votes when all five members are present and now three board members are in the fire department. But the mayor stated we are not going to make any phone calls on this and fought this all last year when I brought it up. Later in the meeting without Mr. Clark present, the board again voted and passed fire department issues.

Why is it so hard for the village board to follow New York state procedures?

It was also noted that I asked the village attorney to resign last year for the fire department issue and also for not advising at the board meeting about voting to pay for work already completed that was not pre-approved. I asked why we weren’t advised on the work issue at that meeting and his answer back was “I don’t know why.” That is also illegal to vote and approve payment for work already done, when there was plenty of time to hold a special meeting to vote on it as we did a few other times last year. A board member called that demand “very disrespectful.”

I will respond that it was very disrespectful to the village residents who pay a large amount for his legal advisement and it was not done.

The third of my questions was asked by a person living in the village on a private road if they can also get their road plowed for free? Last fall it was noted at a board meeting that we do not own Railroad Avenue but we still plowed it. A village official said they will look into this.

The fourth of my questions is the upcoming village budget. I asked if anybody on the board has visited all our properties and departments over the last year. I did that when I was on the board last year and saw and learned many things.

Trustee Drew Ransom answered my question and stated he has visited all of them. My reply was “good job.” Nobody else on the board answered that question.

A board member stated she did not feel a need to “start digging in” to each department if there does not seem to be an issue. My concern asking this has nothing to do about digging in to find issues, it was more about the members understanding the budget. Last year we were given a budget without any review meetings and voted on it at the next meeting. Our neighbors in Fredonia have five to six budget review meetings each year.

As I found out last year that a board member put their own money into a program and found out later there was plenty of money in the budget to cover that expense. Also, in December’s meeting the same member didn’t know that each department purchased their own vehicles. My concerns are two to three members really do not completely understand the budget.

Lastly, after some heated discussion on my questions, I got up to leave. Now after sitting through all my 13 board meetings in 2023 and 2024 the mayor made statements at all of the guests attending the meeting, they can leave and do not have to stay for the rest of the meeting.

It was funny that the opposite statement was made to me, offering a chance to stay for the rest of the meeting. As I was leaving and in rebuff to the mayor’s comment, my statement was: “I have another place to be at now and have better things to do.” It was not what was published in the article: “I have better things to do”.

Edward Bellando is a Brocton resident and former trustee.